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The Ford Expedition Makes a Triumphant Return and Is Joined by an All-New SUV for the US

Ford is doubling down on the growing SUV market, not only by finally updating the Expedition for 2018 but also by introducing the all-new EcoSport micro-SUV. The big, three-row SUV was due for an update and with the introduction and success of the Lincoln Navigator, it was only a matter of time before Ford passed the architecture down to the blue-collared version. The EcoSport, on the other hand, bookends the other side of the spectrum as the smallest SUV the brand has ever produced.

Pricing for the base Expedition lands just above $50,000 while the top trim level starts at $75,000. The bad news is there’s no V8 available; for now, the only engine option is the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 coupled to Ford’s 10-speed transmission which should help with highway driving and towing.

The EcoSport, while new to our shores, has been selling well in Europe for years and adds to Ford’s mission in expanding its SUV lineup in the U.S. It’s officially categorized as a ‘subcompact SUV’, but the EcoSport looks like a lifted hatchback, and not nearly as awkwardly sized and proportioned as crossovers tend to be. Pricing for the lil’ guy starts just under the $20,000 mark and the top trim comes in at $25,740.

What’s most interesting about the announcement, however, is to which demographics these two polar-opposite SUVs are being marketed. Ford says the “full-size Expedition meets Millennials’ growing demand for more space; adventuresome EcoSport enters North American market in the fastest-growing automotive segment – subcompact SUVs – as many Baby Boomers look to downsize.” If true, that marks a significant shift in the thinking of which age groups are buying which cars, since most crossovers to date have targeted young millennials with an active lifestyle. Either way, there’s no reason to think trends in sales will change anytime soon, so both of these SUVs, no matter how different, will sell ridiculously well.